JP2006199384A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device, in which jammed paper can be easily removed even in a case where a drawing/inserting direction of a paper feed cassette is perpendicular to the paper feed direction. <P>SOLUTION: The paper feed cassette 18 in which paper to be fed toward an image forming device main body is stored in a stacked state is drawn/inserted to a paper feed device 100 provided at a lower part of the image forming device main body perpendicularly to the paper feed direction. An opening cover 110 is provided to open a paper feed passage forward in the paper feed direction in the paper feed device 100, and a handle 111 comprising a recess is provided in the opening cover 110. A stopper 112 to regulate the rotation range of the opening cover 110 when it opens is provided closer to the handle 111 in the rotation axial line direction of the opening cover 110. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile machine, and a copying machine, and more particularly to a paper feeding apparatus thereof.

In general, an image forming apparatus has a paper feeding device at a lower portion thereof. The paper feeding device includes a paper feeding cassette in which sheets to be fed toward the image forming apparatus main body are stored in a stacked state. It is designed to be inserted and removed. Normally, this paper feed cassette is inserted and removed in the same direction as the paper feed direction (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-6-298380

When configuring the image forming apparatus and its paper feeding device, it may be desirable to make the paper feeding cassette insertion / removal direction orthogonal to the paper feeding direction in order to achieve the purpose of improving user convenience. .
However, in this case, that is, when the paper cassette is inserted and removed in the direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction, if a paper jam occurs between the paper feeding device and the image forming apparatus, the jammed paper should be removed. Even if you try to remove the paper cassette, the jammed paper itself will not be able to remove the cassette, or if you forcibly remove the cassette, the jammed paper will break and remain in the device. Problems arise.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that solves such problems and can easily remove jammed paper even when the paper feeding cassette is inserted and removed in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction. .

In order to achieve the above object, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a paper feed cassette in a lower portion of the image forming apparatus main body in which sheets to be fed toward the image forming apparatus main body are stored in a stacked state. An image forming apparatus that is inserted into and removed from the sheet feeding apparatus in a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction,
An opening / closing cover that can open the sheet feeding path is provided in front of the sheet feeding direction in the sheet feeding device, and a handle made of a recess is provided in the opening / closing cover to restrict a rotation range when the opening / closing cover is opened. A stopper is provided near the handle in the rotation axis direction of the opening / closing cover.
According to such a configuration, the paper feed cassette in which the sheets to be fed toward the image forming apparatus main body are stored in a stacked state is provided with respect to the paper feeding apparatus provided at the lower part of the image forming apparatus main body. Therefore, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus with improved user convenience as required.
An opening / closing cover that can open the sheet feeding path is provided in front of the sheet feeding direction in the sheet feeding device. Therefore, even if a paper jam occurs between the sheet feeding device and the image forming apparatus, the opening / closing cover is provided. It becomes possible to easily remove the jammed paper.
Since the opening / closing cover is provided with a handle made of a recess, the opening / closing cover can be easily opened and closed by placing a finger on the handle, and the handle is formed of a recess so that the handle can be an image forming apparatus or a paper feed. It can be prevented from protruding from the exterior cover of the device.
In addition, since the stopper that restricts the rotation range when the opening / closing cover is opened is provided, it is possible to prevent the opening / closing cover from being opened more than necessary, and the stopper is close to the handle in the rotation axis direction of the opening / closing cover. Therefore, it is less likely to be damaged by the elastic effect of the intervening portion of the opening / closing cover interposed between the rotation fulcrum of the opening / closing cover and the stopper.
When the opening / closing cover is provided with one roller of a pair of conveying rollers for conveying a sheet fed by the sheet feeding device, the positioning when the opening / closing cover is closed is near the axis of the one roller. Provide a part.
With this configuration, when the opening / closing cover is closed, the one roller is accurately positioned with respect to the other roller by the positioning portion in the vicinity of the axis of the one roller. An accurate paper transport state can be obtained even though the one roller is attached to the cover.

Embodiments of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing the internal structure of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
This image forming apparatus is a color image forming apparatus capable of longitudinally feeding A4 size paper (including letter size) to form a full color image on both sides thereof. The image forming apparatus is accommodated in a case 11 and the case 11. , An image carrier unit 20, an exposure unit 30 as an exposure unit, a developing unit (developing device) 40 as a developing unit, an intermediate transfer unit 50, and a fixing unit (fixing unit) 60 as a fixing unit. I have.
The case 11 is provided with a frame (not shown) of the apparatus main body 10, and each unit is attached to the frame.

  The image carrier unit 20 includes a photoconductor 21 having a photosensitive layer on the outer peripheral surface, and a corona charger (scorotron charger) 22 as a charging unit that uniformly charges the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor 21. The outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor 21 uniformly charged by the corona charger 22 is selectively exposed with the laser light L from the exposure unit 30 to form an electrostatic latent image. The developer 40 is applied with a toner as a developer to form a visible image (toner image). This toner image is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 51 of the intermediate transfer body unit 50 by the primary transfer portion T1, and further to the second image. The secondary transfer unit T2 performs secondary transfer onto a sheet to be transferred.

In the case 11, a conveyance path 16 that conveys a sheet on which an image is formed on one side by the secondary transfer portion T <b> 2 toward a sheet discharge portion (discharge tray) 15 on the top surface of the case 11, and the conveyance path 16. A return path 17 is provided for switching back the sheet conveyed toward the sheet discharge unit 15 and returning it to the secondary transfer unit T2 so as to form an image on the other side.
Reference numeral 70 denotes a duplex unit configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body, and the return path 17 is completed by mounting the duplex unit 70.
A paper feeding device 100 is provided below the case 11, that is, below the image forming apparatus main body. The paper feeding device 100 is provided with a paper feeding cassette 18 for laminating and holding a plurality of sheets, and a paper feeding roller 19 for feeding the sheets one by one toward the secondary transfer portion T2. ing.

  Below the duplex unit 70, there is provided a multi-purpose tray 81 that forms a manual paper feed unit 80. A paper feed roller 82 that feeds the sheets set on the multi-purpose tray 81 one by one is provided in the main body of the apparatus. Is provided.

  The developing device 40 is a rotary developing device (rotary developing device), and a developing device cartridge (not shown) for each color in which yellow toner, cyan toner, magenta toner, and black toner are accommodated with respect to the rotating body main body 41. It is detachably attached. As the rotating body 41 rotates at 90 ° pitch in the direction of arrow R, the developing roller (not shown) provided in each developing device cartridge is selectively brought into contact with the photosensitive member 21, and the surface of the photosensitive member 21. Can be selectively developed.

The exposure unit 30 irradiates the laser 21 with the laser light L.
The intermediate transfer unit 50 includes a unit frame (not shown), a drive roller 54 rotatably supported by the frame, and the intermediate transfer belt 51 stretched around a plurality of driven rollers. The intermediate transfer belt 51 is circulated and driven in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure. The primary transfer portion T1 is formed at the contact portion between the photosensitive member 21 and the intermediate transfer belt 51, and the secondary transfer portion T2 at the pressure contact portion between the driving roller and the secondary transfer roller 10b provided on the main body side. Is formed.
The secondary transfer roller 10b can be brought into contact with and separated from the drive roller 54 (and therefore with respect to the intermediate transfer belt 51), and when it comes into contact, a secondary transfer portion T2 is formed.
Accordingly, when forming a color image, a plurality of color toner images are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 51 while the secondary transfer roller 10b is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 51, and then a color image is formed. The secondary transfer roller 10b contacts the intermediate transfer belt 51, and the sheet is supplied to the contact portion (secondary transfer portion T2), whereby a color image (toner image) is formed on the sheet from the intermediate transfer belt 51. Transfer (secondary transfer) is performed.
The sheet on which the toner image has been transferred passes through the fixing unit 60 to melt and fix the toner image, and is discharged toward the paper discharge tray 15.

Paper feeding to the image forming unit is selectively performed from one of the paper feeding device 100 and the manual paper feeding unit 80 described above.
Normally, plain paper or the like is normally set in the paper feed cassette 18, but various papers are set in the multi-purpose tray 81 as necessary. In other words, plain paper, cardboard, postcard, envelope, OHP sheet, and other recording materials (these recording materials are collectively referred to as paper) are appropriately set in the multi-purpose tray 81 as required by the user.

2A and 2B are views showing the paper feed cassette 18, wherein FIG. 2A is a plan view, FIG. 2B is a front view, and FIG. 2C is a right side view.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the paper feeding device 100 and shows a state where the paper feeding cassette 18 is removed.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the paper feed cassette 18 includes a substantially box-shaped cassette body 90 in which sheets S to be fed are stored in a stacked state, and a shaft 91 (FIG. 1) in the cassette body 90. And the uppermost sheet S that is provided on the cassette body 90 and is pushed up by the push-up plate 92 and fed by the paper feed roller 19 (see FIG. 2). In the feeding direction (in the direction of arrow F in FIGS. 2 and 3), the uppermost sheet S is bent by being bent on the uppermost sheet corners SL and SR by engaging with the front corners SL and SR. It has a pair of separation claws 93L, 93R for separating from the next sheet.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the sheet feeder 100 includes a cassette storage unit 101, an insertion / removal port 102 of the paper cassette 18 into the cassette storage unit 101, and sheets in the sheet cassette 18 one by one. The paper feed roller 19 that feeds the paper and the pair of transport rollers 103 and 104 that transport the paper fed by the paper feed roller 19 into the image forming apparatus main body.

2 is a direction orthogonal to the feeding direction F of the paper S with respect to the cassette storage unit 101 of the paper supply device shown in FIG. 3 (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 1). 3 in the direction of arrow X).
As described above, when the paper feed cassette 18 is configured to be inserted / removed in the direction X perpendicular to the paper feed direction F with respect to the 100 paper feed device, the paper feed cassette 18 is connected to the paper feed path 16a between the paper feed device 100 and the image forming apparatus. When a paper jam occurs, even if an attempt is made to pull out the paper feed cassette 18 to remove the jammed paper, the jammed paper itself becomes in the way and the cassette 18 cannot be pulled out, or the cassette 18 is forcibly removed. When the paper is pulled out, the jammed paper breaks and remains in the apparatus.

Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, an opening / closing cover 110 capable of opening the sheet feeding path 16a is provided in front of the sheet feeding direction F in the sheet feeding device 100, and the opening / closing cover 110 is recessed. A handle 111 (see FIG. 1) is provided.
The opening / closing cover 110 can be rotated around a shaft 113 (see FIG. 1), and a stopper 112 that restricts the rotation range when the opening / closing cover 110 is opened is provided with a stopper 112 in the direction of the axis of rotation of the opening / closing cover 110 (paper surface in FIG. 1). In the direction perpendicular to the handle).
The stopper 112 is configured integrally with the case of the paper feeding device 100, and regulates the rotation range when the opening / closing cover 110 is opened by contacting the lower edge of the opening / closing cover 110.

The opening / closing cover 110 is provided with one roller 104 of the pair of conveying rollers 103, 104, and positioning portions 114, 115 when the opening / closing cover 110 is closed are provided near the axis of the one roller 104. ing. The positioning unit includes a concave portion 114 provided in the case of the paper feeding device 100 and a convex portion 115 that fits closely into the concave portion 114. The convex 115 is formed integrally with the opening / closing cover 110.
At the upper ends of the opening / closing cover 110, a claw 117 is provided at the tip of the flexible piece 116. When the opening / closing cover 110 is closed, the claw 117 is formed in a recess provided in the case of the paper feeding device 100. The closed state of the opening / closing cover 110 is maintained by engaging with a click feeling.

According to the image forming apparatus as described above, a paper feed cassette 18 in which sheets to be fed toward the image forming apparatus main body are stored in a stacked state is provided at the lower portion of the image forming apparatus main body. Since it is inserted into and removed from the paper device 100 in the direction orthogonal to the paper feeding direction, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus with improved user convenience.
An opening / closing cover 110 capable of opening the paper feed path 16a is provided in front of the paper feed direction in the paper feed device 100. Therefore, even when a paper jam occurs between the paper feed device 100 and the image forming apparatus main body. , It becomes possible to easily remove the jammed paper by opening the opening / closing cover 110.
Since the opening / closing cover 110 is provided with a handle 111 made of a recess, the opening / closing cover 110 can be easily opened / closed by placing a finger on the handle 111 and the handle 111 is formed of a recess. It can be prevented from protruding from the exterior cover of the image forming apparatus or the sheet feeding apparatus.
In addition, since the stopper 112 that restricts the rotation range when the opening / closing cover 110 is opened is provided, it is possible to prevent the opening / closing cover 110 from opening more than necessary, and the stopper 112 can rotate the opening / closing cover 110. Since it is provided closer to the handle 111 in the axial direction, it is less likely to be damaged by the elastic effect of the intervening portion of the opening / closing cover interposed between the rotation fulcrum 113 of the opening / closing cover 110 and the stopper.
The opening / closing cover 110 is provided with one roller 104 of a pair of conveying rollers 103 and 104 for conveying a sheet fed by the sheet feeding device 100, and the opening / closing cover 110 is closed near the axis of the one roller 104. Positioning portions 114, 115 are provided, so that when the opening / closing cover 110 is closed, the one roller 104 is moved to the other roller 103 by the positioning portions 114, 115 near the axis of the one roller 104. On the other hand, it is positioned with high accuracy.
Therefore, a highly accurate paper transport state can be obtained even though the one roller 104 is attached to the opening / closing cover 110.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

1 is a schematic front view showing an internal structure of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating the sheet feeding cassette 18, in which FIG. 3A is a plan view, FIG. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  18: paper feeding cassette, 100: paper feeding device, 103, 104: transport roller pair, 110: opening / closing cover, 111: handle, 112: stopper, 114, 115: positioning unit.

Claims (2)

A paper feeding cassette that stores sheets to be fed toward the image forming apparatus main body in a stacked state is perpendicular to the paper feeding direction with respect to the paper feeding apparatus provided at the lower part of the image forming apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus that is inserted into and removed from
An opening / closing cover that can open the sheet feeding path is provided in front of the sheet feeding direction in the sheet feeding device, and a handle made of a recess is provided in the opening / closing cover to restrict a rotation range when the opening / closing cover is opened. An image forming apparatus, wherein a stopper is provided near the handle in a rotation axis direction of the opening / closing cover.   The opening / closing cover is provided with one roller of a pair of conveying rollers for conveying a sheet fed by the sheet feeding device, and a positioning portion when the opening / closing cover is closed is provided in the vicinity of the axis of the one roller. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is provided.

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